Improvement in boot-jacks



UNITED STATES PATENT Orrroa ANDREW N. DE B ;LUN, OF OBADELL, NEW JERSEY.

IMPRQVEMENT IN BOOT-JACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165.482, dated July 13, 1875; application filed April 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW N. DE BAUN, of Oradell, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Boot-Jacks; and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawiu gs, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in bootjacks; and the iuvention consists in providing a boot-jack with heveled jaws, secured in angular slots, in such manner that by the pressure of the foot on the said jaws they will be brought*closer together, so as to grasp theheel of the boot to be pulled.

ln the accompauying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a top viewof my improved boot jack. Fig. 2 is a side view of same; Fig. 3, a top view when folded; and Fig. 4, a crosssection in line ac x, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

A represents a boot-jack, which may be made from any material desired. Into the front end of this bootjack are formed two slots, a. These slots are angular, and into them are fitted jaws B B. 'These jaws are pivoted within the slots, in such manner as to bring their rearends slightly above the surface of the bootjaek, and the inner surface of eachjaw is slightly curved and beveled. Beneath the boot-jack is the ordinary support O, raising the boot-jack from the surface of the floor.

My boot-jack being constructed substantially as above described, its operation is as follows: The boot to be drawn is inserted with the heel between the jaws B B, and the other foot is placed upon the projecting ends b of the jaws, pressing these ends down and raising the outer ends of the jaws, which action causes the Outer ends, within which the boot is placed,to grasp the heel of the boot, and hold it firmly while the foot is drawn from it. This grasping is due to the fact that the jaws are placed and pivoted within the slots in an angular position, so that pressure applied to their ends inclines or forces together the pro jecting jaws, and causes them to grasp the bootheel.

The jaws B are so pivoted that they maybe turned back, as shown in Fig. 3. To accomplish this it is simply necessary to turn the cleat C parallel with the length of the bootjack and between the jaws. The folding back of the ja-ws in this way renders the boot-jack much more portable, enabling it to occupy smaller space than it otherwise would.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A boot-jack having beveled jaws, pivoted in longitudinal slots, which converge in rear of the pivotal point, and are formed in the block s0 as to diverge vertieally, substantially as shown and described.

ANDREW N. DE BAUN.

\Vitnesses:

H. L. VVATTENBERG, I. I. MAR1EL. 

